Everything about California Native Plants totally explained
California native plants are plants that existed in
California prior to the arrival of
Europeans. Some of them have extraordinary horticultural appeal, and have been grown in European gardens for over a century. California native plants are in rapid decline in their land of origin due to pressures from urban development, agriculture, overgrazing, recreation, and invasive non-native species. Citizen groups are at the forefront of a movement to save these plants from further losses.
The
California Floristic Province, a geographical area that covers most of California, portions of neighboring
Oregon,
Nevada, and
Baja California, is regarded as a world hotspot of biodiversity
(External Link
). According to the Jepson Manual
(External Link), California is home to 5,862 species, subspecies, and varieties of native plants. This figure is comparable to the species in all the other states combined! (California also has 1,023 species of non-native plants introduced during the immigrations of the 18th-20th centuries.)
Of California's total plant population, 2,153 species, subspecies, and varieties are endemic -- they occur nowhere else on earth. This botanical diversity stems not only from the size of the state, but also its diverse topography, climates, and soils. Numerous plant groupings exist in California, and botanists have attempted to structure them into identifiable vegetation types or communities.
Common Trees of California
Among the better known California trees are the coast redwood (
Sequoia sempervirens) and giant sequoia (
Sequoiadendron giganteum). The former occurs in the fog-shrouded coast ranges, the latter in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Among conifers, California has eight species of fir (
Abies sp]]), the Douglas-Fir (
Pseudotsuga menziesii and Southern California's
Pseudotsuga macrocarpa), the Incense Cedar (
Calocedrus decurrens), the Lawson Cypress (
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), also known as Port Orford Cedar, and twenty-one Pine species, including the most well-known Ponderosa Pine (
Pinus ponderosa), the naturally limited but widely planted Monterey Pine (
Pinus radiata), the Bishop Pine (
Pinus muricata) and others:
P. albicaulis,
p. aristata,
P. attenuata,
P. balfouriana,
P. contorta,
P. coulteri,
P. edulis,
P. flexilis,
P. jeffreyi,
P. lambertiana,
P. monophylla,
P. monticola,
P. murrayana,
P. quadrifolia,
P. remorata,
P. sabiniana,
P. torreyana, and
P. washoensis.
In the mountains are poplars -
Quaking Aspen (
Populus Tremuloides) and
black cottonwood (
Populus trichocarpa). Still higher are White fir (
Abies concolor) and mountain hemlock (
Tsuga mertensiana).
California is also home to many species of oaks, from giants like the
valley oak (
Quercus lobata) to the shrubby leather oak (
Quercus durata). The
coast live oak (
Quercus agrifolia) is found in the coast ranges and many other parts of California, the mountains contain the
California black oak (
Quercus kelloggii) and
canyon live oak (
Quercus chrysolepis), while the
interior live oak (
Quercus wislizenii) is more common in the central valley. In riparian areas, trees like the Fremont cottonwood (
Populus fremontii),
California sycamore (
Platanus racemosa), white alder (
Alnus rhombifolia), and arroyo willow (
Salix lasiolepis) are found. Blue elderberry (
Sambucus mexicana) is found throughout the state. In the woodlands and forests west of the Sierra Nevada and in the Coast ranges are found Tanoak (
Lithocarpus densiflorus), California Laurel (
Umbellularia californica), Madrone (
Arbutus menziesii) and Toyon (
Heteromeles arbutifolia).
Common Shrubs of California
Common Perennials of California
Douglas iris (
Iris douglasiana),
monkeyflower (several species and varieties) and
columbine (several species) are found in wet or moist places.
Coyote mint (
Monardella), buckwheats (
Eriogonum) and
California poppy are found in drier places (California poppy may also be regarded as an annual in many places).
Shady places contain coral bells (
Heuchera) and ferns (members of genera such as
Polypodium,
Polystichum,
Woodwardia,
Pteridium and
Dryopteris)
Common Bulbs of California
Ithuriel's Spear (
Triteleia sp.); Meadow Onion (
Allium monticola); Ookow or Blue Dicks (
Dichelostemma capitatum); Mariposa Lilies (
Calochortus spp.); Goldenstars (
Bloomeria crocea); and Brodiaeas (
Brodiaea spp.) make up the major groups of native bulbs in California.
Blue Dicks is one of the most common native bulb species in California, found extensively in Southern and Central California, and into Northern California, in grassland and dry meadow habitats. It ranges from California to Oregon, Utah, New Mexico, and northern Mexico. Visit
(External Link) for an example of a stand of Blue Dicks in the Ojai Valley, California, which came up very thickly after cattle grazing had ceased.
Calochortus species are many in California, and often collected from the wild. This practice is illegal without written permission from the land owner, and has resulted in significant declines in populations of some species due to over collecting.
Common Annuals of California
baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii)
blazing star (Mentzelia lindleyi)
California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
Chinese houses (Collinsia heterophylla)
elegant clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata)
farewell-to-spring (Clarkia amoena)
meadowfoam (Limnanthes douglasii)
miner's lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata)
tarweed (Madia elegans)
wind poppy (Stylomecon heterophylla)
Common Vines of California
California wild grape (Vitis californica)
chaparral clematis (Clematis lasiantha)
western virgin's bower (Clematis ligusticifolia)
morning glory (Calystegia spp)
wild cucumber, manroot (Marah fabaceus)
wild cucumber, manroot (Marah macrocarpus)
calabazilla (Cucurbita foetidissima)
Common Grasses of California
purple three-awn (Aristida purpurea)
blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis)
California fescue (Festuca californica)
Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis)
red fescue (Festuca rubra)
junegrass (Koeleria macrantha)
California melic (Melica californica)
deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens)
Purple needlegrass (Nassella pulchra), the state grass of California
pine bluegrass (Poa secunda)Further Information
Get more info on 'California Native Plants'.
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